In Focus

GLOBAL CALL FOR PROVIDERS OF ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TECHNOLOGIES

Deadline for submission: 31 October 2015

The trafficking in counterfeit goods has grown to epidemic proportions across the globe. Currently, replicated goods have infiltrated almost every production sector, such as those of medicines, food and beverages, spare parts, toys, cosmetics, and electrical components.

Organized crime is deeply involved in the production and trade of counterfeit products and is gaining enormous profits from this illicit activity. As a result, counterfeiting has progressively become one of the most important “businesses” for organized crime, which deems it more lucrative and less hazardous than other criminal activities, such as drug trafficking.

Efforts have been made to bring together various stakeholders from the public and private sector in order to address the problem in a synergic way, create more coordinated responses and incorporate different policy proposals to improve the situation.

However, very rarely producers of anti-counterfeiting technologies have been involved in these forums and discussions, while technologies aimed at protecting commodity sectors of public interest may represent useful instruments in supporting Governments to advance their fight against several criminal phenomena, including illicit trade and counterfeiting. By increasing security in some sectors (from excisable products to various commodities, ID documents and banknotes), anti-counterfeiting technologies are creating obstacles for criminals, rendering their operations more and more difficult.

UNICRI is developing a research to increase the knowledge about activities and success stories of anti-counterfeiting technology providers. Aim of the research is to provide Governments with more information on available technologies for different products and the results they produce.

We call providers of anti-counterfeiting technologies which are working with Governments to provide us with information on their activities and success stories. If your company is interested in being included in our research and is providing anti-counterfeiting solutions to one or more Governments, please fill-in the questionnaire and return it to musumeciunicri.it. While doing so, please consider that our research is focused on the protection of excisable products and of commodities. Concrete examples of the technology applications in one or more countries should be presented (possibly indicating relevant achievements). Please, also note that our research will be included in a dedicated Report, publicly available, to be disseminated through our network.

Providers will be contacted back when the draft on their description will be ready in order to collect their final inputs and clearance before being included in the Report.